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“I do not give up,
I never give up,
For there is nothing
In this entire world
that is irrevocably unchangeable.”

– Sri Chinmoy

“Just make tremendous progress
And tremendous improvement
In your own life
Others will definitely be inspired
By the result.”

– Sri Chinmoy

Photo from Lake Rydal, Lake District

Related

Obituary of Sri Chinmoy at Independent (quite nice, although Sri Chinmoy never swam the English Channel. He did however, encourage people to try and complete the crossing.) – Nice tribute here: from Kevin Murphy ‘King of the Channel’ – 34 successful swims

I did win a couple of races, early in the season. This included the Oxonian CC 31 mile hilly TT. and the 10 mile TT organised by London West D.C

My fastest 10 was about a 21.31

My fastest 25 was about a 57.00 – which is really slow. My pb is a 52.

Hill climb Season

The hill climb season is usually the highlight of the season for me. However, circumstance prevented me from competing in any races. I have been doing a bit of training. Several times I have cycled out to Lewknor to race up the A40. But, training is not the same as racing and even my training has been a bit disrupted.

Next week is the National hill climb championship at Cheddar Gorge. I am seeded number 4, last year I finished 7th, when the race was down in Devon. This will be the final race of the season. It is a shame I didn’t have chance to ride up Cheddar Gorge because it sounds an interesting hill.

“When we meditate, what we actually do is enter into a vacant, calm, still, silent mind. We go deep within and approach our true existence, which is our soul. When we live in the soul, we feel that we are actually meditating spontaneously”

– Sri Chinmoy

I have been meditating for several years and it is one of the most enjoyable activities I do.

I learnt to meditate as a student of Sri Chinmoy, which emphasizes meditating on the spiritual heart.

One of the last photos of Sri Chinmoy taken before his mahasamadhi in October 2007. Photo Projjwal.

When a yogi /spiritual master passes away, we often refer it to as their ‘mahasamadhi’

Mahasamadhi is a term used to describe the death of a fully realised Guru / yogi. Mahasamadhi is a yogi’s conscious decision to leave the body. This conscious decision to leave the body can be only attained by a yogi who has attained God Realisation.

For many, death is a frightening experience, but for a realised spiritual Master, death is a natural transition from the one plane of consciousness to another.

Sri Sarada Devi said something most significant about death.

“The difference between a spiritual man and an ordinary man is very simple. Easily you can know the difference between the two. An ordinary man cries and sheds bitter tears when death approaches him; whereas a spiritual man, if he is really spiritual, he will laugh and laugh when death approaches him, for to him death is fun, nothing else”.

Therefore, when the hour of God strikes – when their mission on earth is complete, a yogi is able to consciously withdraw his life-breath from his body. A yogi then enters his final resting place – the consciousness of nirvana / heaven.

However, when a spiritual master leaves the body, it does not mean that their mission is over. What it means is that now they work from a different plane of consciousness.

“My physical death
Is not the end of my life –
I am an eternal journey.”

– Sri Chinmoy

Many of my fellow students of Sri Chinmoy, feel that the spirit of Sri Chinmoy is as visibly tangible now, as it was during his lifetime. If anything the meditative consciousness of Sri Chinmoy has been heightened by the atmosphere of veneration and dignified silence which has encouraged a profound peace to descend on our meeting place.

Quite often, students and well wishers would express their kind hopes that Sri Chinmoy would live to a 100 years. But, I remember on quite a few occasions Sri Chinmoy commenting that he really didn’t wish to live for such a long time!

Sri Chinmoy never worried about the future or made great plans as to what would happen after his death, Sri Chinmoy had the faith to leave everything in the hands of God.

In his later years, Sri Chinmoy was often in great physical pain, as his body slowly deteriorated. In this thoughtful essay, Tribute to Sri Chinmoy we can understand why Sri Chinmoy’s death was a natural progression.

Before Sri Aurobindo passed away in 1950, at the age of 78, he commented that he would be able to achieve more by leaving the body.

” Hope is at once both simple and profound. It is hope that binds Heaven and earth. Hope is the bridge between Heaven and earth. It is hope that makes us feel, at the beginning of our spiritual journey, that we are of God and that we are for God. “

Yesterday, I was counting runners at the 24 hour race in Tooting Bec, organised by Sri Chinmoy A.C and Run and Become. I was glad to be counting runners, because it meant I would miss watching England getting beating by Australia (or so I thought).

What a turnaround. Sport can often throw up surprises. But, this is one of the great upsets, given England and France’s performances in their first game.